New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) is to serve as deputy mayor for Kaohsiung mayor-elect Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the incoming mayor’s office said on Saturday night, adding that the two share similar ideas about Kaohsiung’s prospects.
After winning the Kaohsiung mayoral election on Nov. 24, Han is to take office on Dec. 25.
Following his announcement on Dec. 3 that former minister of transportation and communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) would become one of Kaohsiung’s deputy mayors, Han confirmed media reports that Lee would be the second deputy.
Photo courtesy of New Taipei City Government
Lee’s strong sense of duty and his education and work experience make him an optimal candidate for the post, Han said through his nominee for Kaohsiung Information Bureau director-general, Anne Wang (王淺秋).
Prior to his current position in New Taipei City, Lee served as Executive Yuan secretary-general, and deputy commissioner and director of the then-Taipei County department of public works, Wang said.
Han and Lee would make “a great team,” given that they share similar political ideals, as well as characteristics typical of country folk, Wang quoted Han as saying.
Lee yesterday said that he was born into a fishers’ family on Pingtung County’s Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球), and spent most of his working life as a public servant in Taipei.
He has not had a lot to do with Han previously, Lee said, adding that he missed several calls from him until Han’s daughter, Han Bing (韓冰), contacted him through her secretary.
After several meetings with Han Kuo-yu, Lee said that he found the mayor-elect to be a candid and zealous person who wants to improve the livelihood of farmers and fishers.
He gained outgoing New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) approval before accepting the Kaohsiung post, Lee said.
Asked whether he aimed to help Chu in a potential 2020 presidential bid by consolidating Chu’s support base in Kaohsiung, Lee said he does not hold that much sway and elections are not as important as promoting good policies.
He would seek to replicate the successes of the New Taipei City Government in Kaohsiung by promoting public care centers for infants and elderly people, promoting organic lunches for students, increasing interaction between the two cities, and improving roads and the tourism industry, Lee said, adding that facilitating negotiations among government agencies is one of his strengths.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS